Reason.com
Why Buffy Kicked Ass
The deep meaning of TV's favorite vampire slayer
(Page 2 of 2)
"It flies in the face of everything we've ever -- every generation has ever done in the fight against evil," says Giles, her former Watcher and father figure, when Buffy lays out her plan in the finale. "I think it's bloody brilliant."
Life's pleasures are precious. Buffy maintains her sense of humor, her great hair, and her love of ice cream. She has fun with the friends she loves. The jokes and playful language are as essential to the Buffyverse as the earnest sentiments they cut across.
"So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Buffy asks her best friends as they walk to their final battle, a battle none expects to survive. "I was thinking of shopping, as per usual." Banter ensues about shoe cravings and the right look for a guy with an eye patch.
"Aren't we going to discuss this?" asks Giles, befuddled and a tad disapproving. "Save the world, and go to the mall?"
Well, yes. That's the world they're fighting for.
More Articles by Virginia Postrel
- Why Women Can't Commit, Virginia Postrel, June 27, 2011
- The Banality of Freedom?, Virginia Postrel, November 9, 2010
- Assets and Liabilities, Virginia Postrel, November 4, 2010
Related Articles (Television)
- The Amazingly Bogus Scott Walker 'Divide and Conquer' Video, Kevin Binversie, May 22, 2012
- 5 TV Shows for Today's Great Recession, Ed Krayewski, May 15, 2012
- The FCC's Incomprehensible Ban on Broadcast Indecency, Jacob Sullum, January 11, 2012
- No, Lawrence, There Is No Stimulus, Sheldon Richman, December 23, 2011
- Terrible Nova, Seth McKelvey, December 18, 2011
Most Popular Stories
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Government Beneficiaries and Other Fairy Tales (5.26)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
- Sharon Presley on Libertarian Feminism (5.26)
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
Pingback| 12.29.09 @ 10:30PM
Twitter Trackbacks for Why Buffy Kicked Ass - Reason Magazine [reason.com] on Topsy. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 12.30.09 @ 12:47AM
Why we like vampire slayers, especially Buffy! « Paranormal Romance links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
LarryA|10.30.10 @ 12:28AM|#
Though Postrel's analysis is accurate, the tone of the TV series came from the 1992 movie. I recall it as a breath of fresh air, the equal of the much more popular Unforgiven and The Last of the Mohicans.